So, you do suggest turning Arduino into a programmer ...You can program it via an arduino (free) ...
... or buying crappy programmers on eBay.... or usbasp (5usd)
If the OP was doing individual projects. The OP is not doing that. I notice how you cut out that part of my earlier statement...Sisyphus comes to mind
There was one but I don't think the development is still active.So can a PicKit 2 program AVR chips?
A compiler?What do you use to develop the program which is burned using that programmer?
I am used to the Arduino IDE which both compiles and programs. I was looking for a typical product name of a compiler.A compiler?
Exactly. That's the point. What is underneath Arduino - AVR chip and compilers - is solid. It's the Arduino layer itself which makes it into a toy."But it hides way to much of the lower level stuff from you IMHO."
That's only so because you let it. Underneath the arduino environment, you have gcc-avr, which is essentially the same compiler that atmel uses.
Don't underestimate the power of play. So, does AVR have any parallels to PIC in regards to the OPs quest. Arduino hardware is only a bootloader away from an excellent and inexpensive platform.Exactly. That's the point. What is underneath Arduino - AVR chip and compilers - is solid. It's the Arduino layer itself which makes it into a toy.
Moving from assembler to C doesn't require a change in core. On the contrary, you may want to stick with the same core to get a good understanding of how the compiler renders your C into machine code. It may not be important on larger resources, but the lowly 8051 is a workhorse and often stretched to the max, where optimization techniques, including assembly are important. With assembly, device spec sheets are more informative than the device itself.Recently I was introduced to embedded systems at school. We used a 8051 and programmed it in assembler (Keil µvision). It was a development board with leds and an LCD. My teacher announced we will move on to use C. My intrest in MCs was sparked and I'm looking for my own kit. I found assembly to be fun and I wish to program with it for a while. I also found to 8051 instructionset rather limited. With all this in mind what starter kit would you advise? PIC looks fun but I don't know if you can program it in assembler. Also the starter kit shouldn't be too expensive (50-100€).